Exhausting apparatus for vulcanizing.



C. LEE.

EXHAIUSTING APPARATUS FOR VULCANIZING.

APPLICATION FILED APR.10, 191B- Pa'ten'ted Dec.26,1916. I

l/llI/E/VTOR fllgffwrd Lee,

WIT/V588 f/IS ATTORNEY CLIFFORD LEE, OF NAUGATUCK, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNORTO THE GOODYEARS METALLIC RUBBER SHOE COMPANY, A CORPORATION OFCONNECTICUT.

EXHAUSTING APPARATUS FOR V ULCANIZING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 26, 19116.

Application filed April 10, 1916. Serial No. 90,107.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLIFFORD LEE, a cltlzen of the United States,residing at Naugatuck, county of New Haven, State of Connecticut, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Exhausting Appacanizerin which the outside of the articles is subjected to controllablehigh'pressure. The hollow frame of the car which communicates with thehollow forms, is connected with an exhaust pump, whereby the inside ofthe articles is subjected to a lesser pressure than the outside, thisdifferential of pressure serving to exhaust entrapped air, gases, fluidsand the like, from the articles. Usually both extern-aTpressure and heatare supplied to the articles by surrounding them in the vulcanizer witha heated fluid medium, such as CO, under pressure.

My present invention provides means for dispensing with the use of anexhaust pump to create the desired differential of pressure, and toattain this end, contemplates filling of the hollow forms and frame witha medium and causing the absorption of this medium by chemical reaction,thereby creating the necessary low pressure in the frame and forms.

The invention can be readily understood from the following description,taken in connecti'bnwith the accompanying drawing, in which the figureis a partial. sectional elevation showing apparatus embodying myimprovements.

In one embodiment of the invention, I employ a car. 10 having a frame 11which is formed of communicating tubing, there being upstanding branchpipes 12 of this tubing to support a plurality of perforated hollowforms 13 of the usual and wellknown type, with the articles in thepresent instance boots 14, built thereon. The car is mounted upon wheels15 which facilitate it being run upon a track 16 into a vulcanizer 17which preferably is pressuretight. Heat and pressure are supplied to thearticles in the vulcanizer through a suitable medium, in the presentembodiment G0,, which enters theivulcanizer through an inlet pipe 18,controlled by a valve 18'. An exhaust pipe 19 enters the vulcanizer andis controlled by a valve 20, whereby the vulcanizer may be exhaustedbefore the CO is admitted, so that undiluted CO may fill the vulcanizer.

In thepresent embodiment of the invention,.I equip the car frame with abranch pipe 21 which opens into the interior of the vulcanizer and iscontrolled by a valve 22. The valve 22 is opened during evacuation ofthe vulcanizer through the pipe 19 so that the interior of the frame aswell as the interiors of the forms are simultaneously evacuated. Thevalve is left open for a suitable period after the CO is admitted to thevulcanizer to permit of the interiors of the frame and forms beingfilled with (10,. For opening and closing the valve 22 when desired, arod 23 is led through a stufiing box 24 into the vulcanizer and isconnected to the crank 25 of the valve.

For creating the desired void or low pressure within the interior of theframe and within the interiors of the forms, I connect the frame, bymeans of a pipe 26, with a container 27, located outside of thevulcanizer, communication between the container and interior of theframe being controlled by a valve 28 in the pipe 26. 'The container, inthe present embodiment, is supplied with KOH (caustic potash), and thismedium is preferably agitated by being caused to fiow over baffle plates29 in the container by a pump 30. Upon the valve 28 being opened, achemical reaction takes place between the KOH and the CO which fills theforms and frame, such reaction taking place with great rapidity so thateventually a void or low pressure is created within the forms and frame.

The operation of the apparatus in its most preferred form is as follows:The

valves 20 22 are opened and the exhaust allowed to act therethrough uponthe interior of the vulcamzer and the interiors of the frame and forms,until the vulcanizer, frame and forms are evacuated of air. The valve 20is then closed. The valve 18 is now opened and CO under pressure allowedto enter the vulcanizer, frame and forms. After a sufficient period oftime has elapsed to permit of the frame and forms being filled with G0,,the valve 22 is closed, cutting off further communication between theinterior of the vulcanizer and the interiors of the frame and forms. Thevalve 18' is left open until the continued flow of CO through the pipe18 raises the pressure within the interior of the vulcanizer to therequired degree. When it is desired to apply the differential pressure,the valve 28 is opened permitting the CO within the frame and interiorsof the forms to react chemically with the KOH in the container 27. Asabove described, this chemical reaction takes place with great rapidityand causes suflicient void or low pressure in the forms to effect thenecessary degree of differential pressure upon the rubber articles.

Although I have described one specific embodiment of the invention, I donot limit myself to the specific apparatus, or the sequence of operationdescribed, or to the specific mediums described, since a wide range ofmodifications may be employed within the scope of the appended claims ispractising the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to protectby Letters Patent is:

1. An apparatus of the class described, comprising a vulcanizer, ahollow form therein, means for filling the form with a medium, acontainer for a medium having a chemical aiiinity for the first namedmedium, and means for establishing communication between said containerand the interior of said form.

2. An apparatus of the class described, comprising a vulcanizer, ahollow form therein, means for filling the vulcanizer with a medium,means for establishing and woman then cutting ofl communication betweenthe interior of the form and the interior of the vulcanizer whereby tofill the form with said medium, a'container for a medium having achemical aflinity for the first named medium, and means for establishingcommunication between said container and the interior of said form.

3. An apparatus of the class described, comprising a vulcanizer, ahollow form therein, means for exhausting the vulcanizer, means forfillingthe exhausted vulcanizer with a medium, means for establishingand cutting off communication between the interior of. the form and theinterior of the vulcanizer, whereby the form maybe exhausted duringexhaust of the vulcanizer and may be filled with said medium and sealedduring filling of the vulcanizer, a container for a medium having achemical afiinity for the first named medium, and means for establishingcommunication between said container and the interior of the form.

4:. An apparatus of the class described, comprising a vulcanizer, a.hollow form therein, means for filling the form with a medium, acontainer for a medium having a chemical afiinitv for the first namedmedium, means for agitating the medium in said container, and means forestablishing communication between said container and the interior ofsaidform.

5. An apparatus of the class described, comprising a vulcanizer, ahollow frame removably disposed in the vulcanizer, hollow forms on andcommunicating with the frame, means for filling the frame and the formswith a medium, a container for a medium having a chemical aiiinity forthe first named medium, and means for establishing communication betweensaid container and the interiors of said frame and forms.

Signed at Naugatuck, Conn, this 6th day of April 1916.

CLIFFORD LEE.

